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23h ago

Florida Opens 'Deportation Depot' at Former Baker Prison With 1,500-Bed Capacity

The Baker site begins operations with 117 detainees, signaling Florida’s continued buildout of state-run immigration detention during ongoing court fights.

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Fence and tower at the Baker Correctional Institution, Sanderson, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a roundtable conference at the Hillsborough Academy of Math and Science on July 30 in Tampa. The governor has pushed for immigrant detention centers in Florida to aid President Donald Trump's deportation agenda. (Jefferee Woo/TNS/Tampa Bay Times)
A sign for Alligator Alcatraz at the entrance to the immigration detention centre in the Everglades, Fla., on Aug. 24, 2025.

Overview

  • State officials say the facility inside the former Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson is now receiving detainees and can hold up to 1,500 people.
  • Photos and figures released by the governor’s office show 117 people housed at opening, with infrastructure upgrades cited by emergency management officials.
  • The location sits about 15 minutes from Lake City Gateway Airport, positioning the site for deportation flights and transfers.
  • This is Florida’s second detention site after the Everglades camp known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' which remains in operation following an appeals court stay of a lower-court closure order.
  • Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the state is exploring a third Panhandle facility, while lawsuits from environmental, tribal, and civil-rights groups continue over the Everglades project.